Spring 2012 - Welcome to the Texas Department of Transportation ...

Corpus Christi District In Action
CLEANING UP. Cande Salinas of Corpus Christi
Maintenance cleans graffiti off a highway sign
on SH 358. Working with local law enforcement
agencies, Corpus Christi Maintenance is
documenting its labor and material costs for
graffiti clean ups and will seek restitution from
the perpetrator.
GROWING TO MEET
NEEDS. Jason Lambert
and Christopher Amy
talk with a citizen who
attended the January 31
public meeting on the FM
43 expansion project. The
proposed improvements
would add an additional
lane to each direction of traffic creating a four-lane road to help reduce
congestion. A continuous left turn lane would be added to separate
opposing lanes of traffic and improve traffic circulation. Sidewalks are
proposed on each side to provide a safer route to school and recreational
usage. The Oso Creek Bridge would be widened and lengthened to
improve flood control.
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ISLAND(ER) TIME. Director of Construction
Joe Gaytan and District Traffic Safety
Specialist Hazel Zepeda join Izzy The
Islander at a Texas A&M University-Corpus
Christi basketball game where they handed
out traffic safety information.
COME ON IN. Live Oak County and George
West officials joined TxDOT employees and
retirees to cut the ribbon on the new George
West Maintenance Office on February 28.
During the Open House, the public toured the
10.65-acre site, the new office building, shop,
facilities and yards. Cake, cookies and punch
were generously donated by Tomas Trevino,
Wally Villarreal and the District Activity Fund.
A LITTLE FASTER.
Eusebio “Chebo” Galvan
of Sinton Maintenance
installs one of the new
75 miles per hour speed
limit signs on Interstate
37 in San Patricio County.
Justin Ives and Benito
Galvan assist. In January,
the Texas Transportation
Commission authorized
increasing the speed
limit on I-37 from SH
358 in Nueces County
through San Patricio,
Live Oak, Atascosa up to Loop 1604 in Bexar County.
In the future, TxDOT will be studying the possibility
of increasing speed limits on U.S. highways, state
highways and Farm-to-Market roads.
MEETING INTERSTATE
STANDARDS. Nelda Eureste
discusses right of way needs
for the proposed U.S. 77
improvement project during the
public hearing on February 8 in
Kingsville. TxDOT held five public
hearings in Raymondville, Sarita,
Riviera, Kingsville and Driscoll
on the proposed upgrade of U.S.
77 to a controlled access facility
that meets Interstate design standards. The project area extends 122
miles along U.S. 77 from I-37 in Corpus Christi to U.S. 83 in Harlingen.
TxDOT is proposing upgrades, which include new overpasses, new
interchanges, new one-way frontage roads, upgrades to existing
ramps and conversion of two-way frontage roads to one-way
frontage roads. At Driscoll and Riviera, relief routes are proposed to
the east of each community.
HAVING A BALL. George
Cavazos of Kingsville
Maintenance and JM Garcia
of Jim Wells Maintenance
talk with a Texas A&M
University-Kingsville
student at the Play It Safe
Spring Break event on
March 7. George and JM
gave students goggles that
simulated impaired driving
and then tossed them a
football or Frisbee to show how motor skills and reaction times are reduced by alcohol.
Ricky Flores and Tino Gamez of Kingsville Maintenance manned the roll-over convincer
to show the importance of buckling up. Hazel Zepeda and Sally Gracia handed out
backpacks and safety information to students.